


like a star, like falling rain

by matchamilk



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 19:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11469708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matchamilk/pseuds/matchamilk
Summary: Jung Jaehyun is an idol turned actor at the peak of his career. He's South Korea's number one leading man and a former member of the biggest boy group to debut in years. Everything's going fine- he's young, rich, handsome.Except for the fact that he's dealing with several stalkers, death threats, and nearly gets killed by a truck. Oh, he's also being forced to get a personal bodyguard.Yeah, everything's going fine.--a bodyguard!Sicheng/Actor!Jaehyun AU loosely based off the drama Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.





	like a star, like falling rain

**Author's Note:**

> this entire fic is VERY VERY loosely based off Strong Woman Do Bong Soon so please do not expect this to be anywhere close to the original drama or plot. if i'm being honest i only watched two episodes of the series, but i love the idea of cute sicheng with super strength and dashing actor jaehyun, so here's my take on it.
> 
> title taken from galaxy by bolbbalgan4. my baby's favorite song to sing in the shower.
> 
> EDIT: several characters including jaehyun are aged up in this fic, he's 23 int age. sicheng is still 19.

 

**KBS TV HEADQUARTERS**

**SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA**

**12: 53 PM JULY 2 ND 2017 **

THE SOUND OF CLOPPING HORSES thundered in the distance, their hooves beating down on packed earth. Against an aquamarine sky, the sun was full and bright, emanating pale beams of light that reflected against shiny helmets, glinting like perfectly polished marbles. The fields were bright, newly cut grass, fresh green and trimmed to perfection. In the distance, a smattering of wealthy spectators stood in the stands, dressed in pastel suits and dresses with cocktails in hand. Photographers and journalists lined up on the sidelines of the race track like dominos, cameras poised as they hurriedly snapped pictures of jockeys riding their Thoroughbreds, strong horses galloping across the field.

Jung Jaehyun watched the footage play across the huge HD screen behind him, hands clasped politely in his lap. The screen zoomed in on a lone figure in the stands—a man dressed in a tan suit, sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose as he glanced down, absorbed with his phone. He stood out like a sore thumb, the one audience member who wasn’t paying attention to the race ahead.

Jaehyun sighed internally, he should have known they would bring this up.

“…Now, we had to ask about this since there were jokes about it all over Naver—what had you so hooked on your phone that you missed your own brother winning his race? Someone taking up all your attention?” The interviewer smiled, his lips quirking up slyly as he leaned in conspiratorially, “A girlfriend perhaps?”

“No,” Jaehyun laughed, his well-practiced TV chuckle flitting out of his mouth easily, “It seems like the camera caught me at the wrong time. It was a work matter, as usual. I can’t ignore those unfortunately—even for Mark’s race. Don’t worry, I got to celebrate with him afterwards,” He paused to turn his head and smile straight into the camera, “My treat. And trust me, it was _not_ cheap. ”

“So no girlfriend?” The interviewer pressed, “Surely you have at least someone you have your eye on. You’re rich and handsome, it shouldn’t be hard finding someone.”

 “Ah, you flatter me too much. I’m too busy for a relationship these days, work comes first as usual,” Jaehyun answered, fingers tapping the boney ridge of his knuckles rhythmically as he counted down the seconds silently in his head, _72…71...70…_

“Understandable, especially when you’re South Korea’s hottest idol turned actor at the moment,” The interviewer nodded, bright white teeth flashing as he crossed his leg, “speaking of which, any word for fans on upcoming schedules? A new drama in the works? Perhaps a NCT comeback after all these years?”

Jaehyun shook his head, mentally pausing his counting and reciting the company approved line that was imprinted in his memory, “Nothing I can say for now, but check SNS and look forward to what I have coming up.”

… _15….14….13…._

“Well, unfortunately that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you for coming on the show! Please anticipate what actor extraordinaire Jung Jaehyun has in the future and tune in next time…”

… _3…2…_

“And that’s a wrap!” The director called out.

Jaehyun was already out of his seat, ripping his earpiece off as he walked backstage. As soon as he stepped off the set, a man dressed in a dark navy suit rushed up to him hurriedly, a tablet in one hand, the other on the small of his back as he pushed him towards the end of the hall. He was young, tall, with ramrod straight posture, perfectly styled hair, and wore a Bluetooth headset curved around his ear. He looked like the type to carry a color coded agenda.

Which, he was.

“What do I have next Doyoung?” Jaehyun looked ahead, walking briskly as his assistant fussed over him, unclipping his microphone from his suit and collecting the tangled mess of wires from his palm.

“We have to be at the bi-monthly staff meeting by 2:30 PM back at the office,” Doyoung replied easily, steering them both and making a sharp turn at the corner, “at 4:00 PM you have a meeting with IT discussing… _the situation_ , and at 5 PM your agent wants to meet up for coffee to discuss a possible modeling opportunity,” the two of them paused, briefly bowing and handing over the equipment to a PA, “and then you have a phone call with your mother at 7 PM.”

Jaehyun winced, “You scheduled another one?”

Doyoung clicked his tongue, “Don’t be ungrateful. One always has time to talk to their mother. Besides, she’s worried. And rightfully so.”

Jaehyun’s eyes widened, snapping his head towards his assistant, “You didn’t tell her about _the situation_ did you? Not even Mark knows.”

“Of course not! That’s confidential! She’s worried because she noticed your dark circles on TV recently, and as usual, she wants to know why you still haven’t found a wife yet. I’d never make her more stressed than necessary. We just talked this morning and she’s been worried you’re not getting enough sleep. By the way, she’s right.”

“When will you stop calling my mother? I swear, you two gossip like aunties.”  

“I’ll stop when you actually take a good two hours to sit down and talk to her so she’s not completely clueless as to what’s going on in your life,” Doyoung rolled his eyes, glancing down at his Apple watch and nodding. He opened the door to the lot outside, and as if on cue, a black limousine rolled up around the corner.

“Perfect timing,” He smiled, shooting Jaehyun a smug glance, “As expected of your amazing personal assistant. Who, by the way, wouldn’t mind a raise.”

“Keep dreaming, bunny boy.”

\--

**SM ENTERTAINMENT**

**SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA**

**3: 41 PM JULY 2 ND 2017 **

“Yes, yes I’ll be sure to grab lunch with you some time, just shoot my PA an email and he’ll sort everything. Of course, _no,_ it was a pleasure chatting again.” Jaehyun bowed for what seemed like the 50th time that hour, bobbing his head up and down the briefest, his signature _business_ smile cratering dimples into his cheeks.

As soon as the last person cleared the conference room, he sighed, letting his head drop against the glass wall. He needed an Advil.

The door opened with a soft click.

“Tough meeting?” Doyoung asked, walking towards him with two cups of complimentary espresso. He gently nudged Jaehyun’s shoulder and handed him the warm paper cup. Jaehyun accepted it gratefully, inhaling the scent of cocoa and closing his eyes.

“Typical entertainment industry politics,” Jaehyun groaned, “I don’t know how you do it. I hate these conferences. It’s just one ass kissing festival after another. I will never understand why they make these meetings mandatory for clients. I swear, who thought it was a good idea to have SM’s entire acting roster _and_ agency in one place? We have teams for a _reason._ ”

Doyoung raised an eyebrow, “Now you see what I have to deal with on a daily basis.” He swirled his coffee, fingers tapping the wooden stirring stick. ”By the way, how was Nakamoto? He was texting me nonstop the other day about that deal he scored Johnny with William Morris for festival touring. American debut for his DJing. Impressive.”

“Please don’t mention Nakamoto. At least not this early,” Jaehyun begged, trying to forget the 20 minute brag session the agent dragged on about in the meeting, followed by another 5 minutes of showing off his newly personalized holographic business cards. As if everyone in the office _didn’t_ already have his email and number.

Doyoung grinned, “See? You know how much I want to schedule a fight with Nakamoto in the nearest back alley and I have to deal with him almost _every day._ Again, that offer for a raise is still up there.”

Jaehyun waved him off, rubbing his temples, “Did Taeyong still want to do that meeting later today? I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. He was in a rush.”

“Just got a text from him. He’s still on for 5. Says to bring him a slice of cheesecake if you can. Tiramisu flavor preferred.”

Sweets. That was never a good sign for Lee Taeyong.

“Cheesecake? The man really is stressed.”

“Well he _did_ just join Esteem’s booking team on top of being _your_ agent. You can understand how it is, booking models is a whole different ballpark from acting.”

“That man never stops working,” Jaehyun sighed, “And neither do I. IT meeting soon?”

“Yep. And this time we’re talking for real. You can’t keep avoiding this.”

\--

**SM ENTERTAINMENT**

**SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA**

**4:00 PM JULY 2 ND 2017 **

The meeting with IT turned out to be more than just a meeting with IT.

In fact it could have passed for an interrogation with the amount of people cramped into the tiny office, all stood in a circle. As soon as he opened the door, all eyes in the room zoomed in on him. He felt like he was about to be tried.

“You need a bodyguard,” Is the first thing that Daeho, the head of the department, said to Jaehyun. Daeho crossed his arms, muscles flexing as he leaned back on the edge of the desk.

The rest of department, along with half of HR, the head of security, and the COO, all nodded at him simultaneously.

It was kind of creepy how in sync they all were.

“Um,” Jaehyun said as he awkwardly attempted to squeeze his way into the nearest plastic chair, which happened to be in the center of the circle. His knees nearly knocked into some poor programmer’s face, “Hello.”

No one seemed amused. Daeho only frowned.

“Jaehyun-ssi, this is serious. We’ve been getting nonstop threats to the company email, the girls downstairs have discovered at least three more hidden cameras in your fan gifts, and there’s already a bomb threat floating around for your latest fansign. Plus we all know about the hidden camera in your apartment and your Kakao Talk account leaking.”

Jaehyun’s jaw dropped open. He was planning on keeping that a secret.

“Ho-”

“Doyoung.” Daeho answered, cutting him off.

Of course.

Jaehyun snapped his mouth closed, swiveling in his chair to glare at Doyoung, who had now moved to the front of the room. His arms were crossed, one eyebrow quirked up as if to say _try me._

“You need to start taking this seriously. Your career has been blowing up since your solo debut, and it’s only getting bigger. I know you’re young, handsome, successful and you feel invincible, but these are very real threats,” Daeho ran a hand through his hair, “Not only do they impact you, but they also could hurt the rest of the staff and anyone associated with you. We can’t afford to not take these seriously, and as great as the bodyguards we have here at SM are, they can’t be with you when you’re not doing company scheduled activities.”

Once Daeho finished speaking, Doyoung cleared his throat, adjusting the tablet he always held in his hands.

“I’ve been talking with the rest of the staff, coordinating with the HR department and security. We’ve all collectively made a decision.”

Jaehyun tilted his head, “And that is?”

“You need a personal bodyguard that will stay with you 24/7. We start interviews next week.”

 --

**SM ENTERTAINMENT**

**SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA**

**4:27 PM JULY 2 ND 2017 **

“Jaehyun, slow down,” Doyoung groaned as he hurried to catch up with the actor, who was currently storming away at full speed, “Sorry. Sorry—excuse me, sorry,” He mumbled as he dodged the flow of people in the hallway.

His oxfords screeched against the buffed marble floor, stumbling slightly as the soles of his shoes slid over the smooth floor. Doyoung huffed, frowning. He sped walked, unbuttoning his blazer and keeping his gaze sharp and focused on Jaehyun’s retreating back. This was the problem with working with celebrities. No matter _what_ their backgrounds were, there was always a certain level entitlement and misunderstanding when it came to matters beyond what they did for a living.

Jaehyun was one of those celebrities—not that he was a hard client to work with. Doyoung would’ve never taken him on if he didn’t like him in the first place. For someone so famous at such a young age, who skyrocketed to success at fifteen, and only grew more famous after pursuing solo activities, Jaehyun was surprisingly grounded. He was never arrogant, even when he had every reason to be. The man was constantly showered with compliments, praised for his looks and talent, featured on every major publication in the country and yet, he was so _humble._

He worked hard and never took anything for granted.

But again, when it came to issues like business and security, he just didn’t seem to understand.

And when Doyoung had to explain to him, that _yes_ a bomb threat should be taken more seriously than a prank and that _no_ he couldn’t just skim through his contracts himself without a lawyer, half the time it was like teaching someone who didn’t want to listen.

Which was fine, that was why people like Doyoung existed.

But sometimes, when someone responsible—like himself—had to step in, it didn’t always end well.

Like now.

“Jaehyun!” Doyoung called out once again to no success.

Jaehyun ignored him, frowning as he made a bee-line towards the elevator. He pushed the down button, furiously tapping his foot as he stared at the red digital numbers. _Floor 8, floor7, floor 6…_

“Hurry up,” He hissed under his breath, banging his palm against the doors as if it would make the elevator speed up. He just wanted to get out of the office after a day full of meetings on top of a live recording. Two of his least favorite activities.

 Plus, of course, being forced into hiring a guard that would follow him 24/7. As if his life wasn’t scrutinized enough.

Today was looking great.

… _floor 5, floor 4…._

_Ding!_

“Finally,” Jaehyun sighed as he quickly stepped into the elevator and selected the option for the ground floor.

“Wait!” Doyoung shouted, pushing past a staff member. He was running at full speed now, impressively weaving around anyone he almost came in contact with.

Jaehyun jammed the _close_ button as hard as possible, and just for good measure he pressed it seven more times.

“Jung _Yoonoh_ ,” Doyoung gritted out, knowing fully well that Jaehyun hated being called by his real name, “you better keep that fucking door open _._ ”

Doyoung was only a few steps away from reaching the elevator, his hand reaching out to keep the slowly closing doors open. Unfortunately, he was too late.

“Bye bye,” Jaehyun saluted, voice dripping with bitterness. The doors slid shut.

It was strikingly silent then. Only the muted whir of machinery as the elevator slowly descended could be heard. Jaehyun exhaled, slumping back and resting his forehead on the cool metal against the wall. He closed his eyes, and suddenly he felt it.

Exhaustion, stress, everything from the entire day washing over him all at once.

He was tired.

He was tired, twenty three, and at the highest point of his career so far. But he was also currently dealing with a multitude of stalkers, bullshit industry politics, and a world desperate to get any piece of his personal life. And he just treated his assistant and best friend like shit for looking out for him.

Jaehyun swallowed and clenched his fist, guilt crawling up his throat. He knew he had no right to be upset with Doyoung, knew that deep down Doyoung was right.

He was only looking out for him, like he always had.

 But he had snapped. It wasn’t the bodyguard issue that he was upset about, it was _everything_ that had been building up to this moment. The pressure, the stress, the lack of privacy, the fakeness. Because, even though Doyoung was his personal assistant, he was the closest _real_ friend Jaehyun had. Which, in perspective, sounded pathetic.

No one said it wasn’t lonely at the top.

He needed to get away. He didn’t know where—but he had to clear his head. He knew Doyoung would kill him for this, but he needed space to think.

Jaehyun stepped out into the lobby, briskly walking out the doors of the building and ignoring the stares and heads turning as he passed by. He reached into his breast pocket, pulling out the pair of sunglasses and black face mask he always kept with him and put them both on.

It was bright outside, hot evening sun immediately fanning over his face. The street was relatively busy, hordes of people rushing by holding iced coffees, shopping bags, parasols, brief cases. He froze for a moment. Just a few yards away sat a line of girls, their feet propped on their suitcases, DSLRs in hand.

Sasaengs.

He didn’t have an official schedule today, and thankfully none of the fansites looked familiar. They were probably waiting for trainees or the new rookie group that had debuted recently.

Still, he couldn’t risk it. He immediately lowered his head and walked the opposite direction, blending into a crowd of people who were crossing the street. Jaehyun shoved his hands in his pockets. Once he was on the other side of the road he was at a loss of where to go—he didn’t have any sense of direction.

He decided to continue straight down the street, glancing at the storefront windows. He passed by a few boutiques, a chicken place, and a hair salon.

Jaehyun slowed down. His own face was staring at him. A woman getting her hair cut was holding the August edition of _Vogue Korea,_ and he was plastered on the front cover. He stared, feeling strangely embarrassed. He had gotten over the shame of seeing himself in CFs, music videos, television shows long ago. But standing here now, looking at his own sultry, half lidded stare, his shoulders bare and dewy, a thousand dollar blouse hanging half off his torso.

It was strangely mortifying.

The woman through the window sensed his presence, catching his eye briefly. Before she could double take, he was already bolting from the storefront. Once he was far enough from the hair salon, and more importantly, the company building, he exhaled. His back was getting sticky with perspiration. It was sweltering.

Jaehyun took off his jacket, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt. After he folded his suit jacket over his arm, his phone began to buzz. He pulled it out and checked the contact.

Kim Doyoung.

Jaehyun pressed the lock button on his phone, ending the call request. He couldn’t talk right now, at least not in this state. His phone buzzed again, this time with several texts from Doyoung and one from Taeyong.

_Kim Doyoung: Where are you???_

_Kim Doyoung: If you don’t come back right now, I’ll hunt you down myself and kill you. This is isn’t safe._

_Kim Doyoung: Look we can negotiate the bodyguard issue, just please come back._

_Kim Doyoung: You have a meeting with Taeyong at 5. PLEASE at least return to the office by then._

_Kim Doyoung: Jaehyun. Just text me if you’re okay._

_Lee Taeyong: Don’t forget that cheesecake._

He checked the time on his phone. It was 4:45. His meeting with Taeyong was in 15 minutes.

“Excuse me,” Someone bumped into him, hitting him in the shoulder.

Jaehyun whipped his head around, realizing he was holding up foot traffic. There was a narrow alleyway between two of the buildings he was standing in front of. It looked dim, offering some shade from the heat.

He slipped into the alley, and opened his phone back up. He had two choices: he could either ignore his responsibilities and keep walking until he didn’t know what to do, or he could go back to the company and have his meeting with Taeyong like he was supposed to.

Jaehyun tucked his lip between his teeth, pausing for a second before shooting two texts.

_To: Kim Doyoung_

_Jung Jaehyun: I’m fine. I’ll see you in the office soon._

_To: Lee Taeyong_

_Jung Jaehyun: I won’t forget, be about 15 minutes late. Sorry._

He gave in. There was no point in rebelling. He would have to face the consequences anyway. But he didn’t want to go back just yet, not before he got Taeyong his cake.

Jaehyun walked further down the alleyway, wrinkling his nose as the smell of old garbage got stronger. He was behind a few stores, where the dumpsters were located. There should have been a bakery somewhere here, he was sure he had seen it every time he had to make the commute to the company building.

The path in the alleyway began to widen, opening up to a back road made for trucks to stop by and deliver stock. On the other side of the street, the backdoor of a shop opened. A boy carrying a huge stack of pink paper boxes walked out. The stack was so tall, Jaehyun could barely see the top of his head, but he did see the familiar black and white logo for the bakery he was looking for.

Jackpot.

“Hey!” Jaehyun called out, walking forward, “Is this the—”

It was then everything seemed to freeze in slow motion at once. The boxes in the boy’s hand flew up in the air, the sunshine reflecting the glossy cellophane panes of each box. His face slowly came into view, big doe eyes that were opened so wide, it almost looked comical. He sprinted towards him, thick lips opened in a wide o-shape, apron flapping in the air, short fluffy bangs flopping against his forehead as his long legs sprung forward.

He was shouting something, but Jaehyun couldn’t hear anything except for the loud blaring of a truck horn. He turned his head, sunglasses falling off his face as he saw a huge white truck barreling towards him. His arms instinctively covered his head, eyes squeezing shut, shoulders hunching as he curled in on himself. He felt himself turn cold, his heart dropping into his stomach and sinking like a stone thrown into a lake.

He waited for it, for the impact and the pitch black to come.

_I’m going to die._

But in three seconds, something miraculous happened.

_Nothing._

There was no impact, just the cacophonous sound of metal crunching and tires screeching against gravel followed by silence. Jaehyun sucked in a breath of air, his blood rushing towards his ears, face hidden between his knees. Someone touched his shoulder, long fingers so feather light and fleeting, it was gone before he could even comprehend it.

Was he dead?

He opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was smoke. The smell of something burning was thick in the air. Black skid marks imprinted on the road. Hesitantly, he stood up.

The truck was somehow yards away, turned slightly to the right. The hood was absolutely wrecked, the entire front of the vehicle a shamble of twisted, indistinguishable metal. Thankfully, the driver seemed unharmed, the glass window of the truck unshattered. He looked shaken though, staring at Jaehyun with a look of disbelief.

Jaehun swallowed, his mouth dry and his heart thumping as fast as the wings of a hummingbird, banging against his chest.  

There was something wrong. This wasn’t physically possible.

The boy. It had to be him. But the entire street was empty except for him and the driver.

It didn’t explain anything.

Did he dream it up? Jaehyun was never particularly religious but he couldn’t rule out the possibility…did he have a guardian angel?

“Hey!” Jaehyun screamed, his voice hoarse as he circled around, desperately trying to find whoever it was he just saw. He whipped around, searching for even a glimpse of the boy in the apron. The back of the bakery was just as empty as the street.

But, lying on the ground, was a pile of pink boxes.

So it wasn’t a dream.

Before he could go over to the back of the store, the driver was climbing out the front seat of the truck, phone in hand. The sound of police sirens wailed, getting louder as a few squad cars and an ambulance pulled up, followed by a familiar black range rover. The SUV parked behind the line of police cars.

Doyoung hopped out of the passenger seat. He looked like a mess, his hair sticking out in all sides, Bluetooth dangling around his neck, sleeves rolled up to his forearms as he pushed past a cop and ran towards where Jaehyun was stood. Jaehyun had never seen him so disheveled.

Doyoung pulled him into a hug, arms squeezing him as gently as possible.

“Jaehyun!” Doyoung panted as he pulled away. Wrinkles creased between his eyebrows, his eyes filled with worry, “What happened? Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Do you need to go the hospital?”

“I’m fine, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

Jaehyun pointed over Doyoung’s shoulder towards the side of the truck he didn’t notice before. There, on the vehicle, was a dent that looked so deep it was caved in several inches. That wasn’t the unusual part about it though, it was the _shape._

“I-is that a handprint?”

 

 


End file.
